Leon Ellison, described by his family as a "mad genius," spent decades building a near-exact Avro Lancaster cockpit replica in his garden. After his death in 2024 he requested the cockpit be donated to Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre; it arrived this week with his son Adrian present. The centre hopes to raise £50,000 to convert the static exhibit into a working flight simulator and will use it as part of education programmes linking local wartime history to the Dambusters raids.
‘Mad Genius’ Lancaster Cockpit Replica Donated to Metheringham — Could Become Working Flight Simulator
The cockpit replica is on show at Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre [BBC]
Described by his family as a "mad genius," Leon Ellison spent decades researching and handcrafting a near-exact replica of an Avro Lancaster bomber cockpit in his garden workshop. Ellison, who died in 2024, left instructions that the cockpit should be donated to the Metheringham Airfield Visitor Centre in Lincolnshire. This week the cockpit arrived at its new home, witnessed by his son Adrian, 57.
Leon Ellison spent decades researching and building the replica [Family handout]
From Garden Workshop to Museum
Ellison's fascination with the Lancaster — the heavy bomber made famous by the 1943 Dambusters raid — began after he watched the 1955 film about the operation, starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave. A trained electronics engineer and physicist, and an aviator in his own right, he spent years studying the aircraft to recreate its cockpit with painstaking detail.
Adrian Ellison says his dad was a "mad genius" [BBC]
"I am so proud and I think he would be as well if he could look down on us," Adrian said. "He would be amazed that his creation has garnered so much attention."
Purpose and Plans
For now, the cockpit is a static exhibit. The visitor centre hopes to incorporate it into a purpose-built Lancaster exhibition and to convert the replica into a fully functioning flight simulator so visitors can gain a visceral sense of what wartime Lancaster crews experienced. The museum is seeking to raise £50,000 to make that vision a reality.
Engineers want to eventually use the replica as a fully working simulator [BBC]
Barry Walker, a trustee and volunteer at Metheringham, noted the educational potential: the centre regularly hosts youth groups and school visits and plans to use the replica to help pupils compare wartime aircraft with modern types.
The cockpit was lifted out of Leon's garden in Binfield, Berkshire [BBC]
Squadron Leader Paul Wise of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) praised the authenticity of Ellison's work, saying the cockpit produces an immediate physical reaction for those familiar with the real Lancaster: "When I jump on board, my hands go to exactly the right places." He hopes the public will feel the same sense of recognition when the simulator opens to visitors.
Barry Walker says the replica is a "tangible representation of what a Lancaster would have been like" [BBC]
Historical Context
RAF Metheringham, located near the visitor centre, was home to Lancaster bombers of 106 Squadron from November 1943 until the end of World War II — a local connection that made Metheringham a fitting destination for the replica. The original Dambusters raids were launched from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire; of the 19 Lancasters involved in the 1943 mission, eight were lost. Of the 133 aircrew who took part, 53 were killed and three were captured.
Sqn Ldr Paul Wise says Leon's creation is "amazing" [BBC]
Walker also pointed out that only two Lancasters remain airworthy today: the BBMF example based at RAF Coningsby and another preserved in Canada. Ellison's replica provides a tangible and accessible representation of the aircraft for visitors who cannot see the originals in flight.
The cockpit was carefully lifted from Ellison's garden in Binfield, Berkshire, and transported to Metheringham, where volunteers and staff welcomed it as both a tribute to Ellison's craft and a potential long-term educational resource.
What It Means
Leon Ellison's handcrafted cockpit preserves a piece of aviation heritage and local history, offering museum visitors — especially young people — a chance to connect with the realities of wartime aircrew life. If fundraising succeeds, the exhibit could also become an immersive simulator that brings those stories to life.
Help us improve.
